2013 Subaru Outback Cruise Control Problems

Your car unexpectedly accelerated without warning while you were parking, and you were unable to control it even though you tried to stop. The vehicle crashed through a fence and hit a tree before coming to a stop. The airbags did not deploy during the crash, and investigation ruled out a stuck gas pedal or driver error as the cause.

I experienced a sudden unintended acceleration of my 2013 Subaru Outback while braking to make a left hand turn at a stoplight on Federal Road in Brookfield, CT. I was able to squeeze the brake hard while shifting into neutral to avoid slamming into the car in front of me while the engine raced. The car would have gone out of control had I not been able to press very hard on the brake pedal. This incident was not the first time this unintended acceleration of the vehicle occurred. About a month ago, I was in a similar situation on the road when I was decelerating and applying the brake that the car had a rapid unintended acceleration that caused me to press very hard on the brake pedal to keep the car from lurching forward. I’ve owned the vehicle since December 2012 and this situation has probably occurred less than 5 times over the 10 years of operation. Each time I thought it was perhaps my error for somehow touching the accelerator with my foot while the brake was applied. After the recent November 22 incident, I now realize that there is likely a systemic problem with the accelerator. I plan to have accelerator inspected by the dealer.

Thank you NHTSA for being my voice. We need and appreciate the life saving work you collectively do to keep my family, myself, and others safe on our roads. I need your action. My 2013 Subaru Continuously Variable Transmission valve body is failing. This is a major safety issue because my Subaru risks stalling out and potentially being harmed in a crash causing bodily injury or death to the driver, passengers, and other motorists. This is a known issue with Subaru and the NHTSA. Instead of a recall, Subaru of America opted to extend the warranty to 100,000 miles or 10 years for this safety issue. My car is 8 years old and over 100,000 miles. (I have taken amazing care of my beloved car and have already replaced the short block assembly that was a Service Bulletin under warranty for excessive oil consumption.) My goal, with your assistance, is to hold Subaru accountable to fix this known CVT failure at their cost (Approximately $1,829.94) by honoring my 8 year old car that is within the 10 year portion of the warranty extension. Although it is a known problem for cars over 100,000 miles, Subaru is denying my claim. The verbiage of this Continuously Variable Transmission issue being covered under an extended warranty of “100,000 miles OR 10 years, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST’ is a protection of the manufacturer only. I am compelled to ask you for your help and appreciate your time and advocacy. I can help in any capacity on my end. I am at your service!

Upon entering a parking space,my 2013 Subaru Outback went from idle to full acceleration,hitting a parked,unoccupied truck. Braking had no effect on the car,the air bag did not deploy,and the car did not decelerate until I was able to engage Park-within a few seconds it resumed the idle. The police made a report,car was taken to wrecking yard,and is now at repair facility for possible repair. There were no prior warnings or messages. I was unaware of a safety issue with Subaru and when I contacted my local dealer,I was told they were unaware of any issues. I then did research online and found numerous problems.

SUBARU OUTBACK SELF-ACCELERATED (UNINTENDED ACCELERATION) ON MARCH 22, 2018 AS I WAS ATTEMPTED TO PARK THE CAR IN A PARKING LOT. DUE TO THE SELF-ACCELERATION THE CAR HOPPED OVER THE CURB IN THE PARKING LOT AND RAN OVER A BUSH. MY FOOT WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE ACCELERATOR AND EVEN WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE, I HAD TO PRESS EXTREMELY HARD ON THE BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WHILE IT SELF-ACCELERATED THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD REVVING SOUND. ON MARCH 23, 2018 THE CAR SELF-ACCELERATED AGAIN WITH MY HUSBAND DRIVING ON THE OPEN ROAD. AFTER THIS INCIDENT WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUR CAR DEALERSHIP. SUBARU HAS HAD THE CAR SINCE MARCH 23 AND DENIES ANY PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR OR CAR.

CRUISE CONTROL BUG. IF I DECREASE MY SPEED BY 3 OR MORE MPH IN RAPID SUCCESSION, THE CRUISE CONTROL RESETS TO THE ORIGINAL SPEED, I.E. THE CRUISE CONTROL SPEED CHANGES FROM 60 TO 59 TO 58 TO 57 TO 56 TO 60. THIS SEEMS LIKE A DANGEROUS BUG SINCE IT CAUSES UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I HAVE A VIDEO THAT I CAN SHARE FOR DOCUMENTATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED AS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE BRAKING TO A STOP, THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED EXCESSIVELY AS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR A ROUTINE REPAIR. WHEN I GOT IT BACK IT BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE CORRECTLY AND CHUGGED. THE ACCELERATION ABRUPTLY STOPPED AT A HIGH SPEED ON THE FREEWAY NEARLY CAUSING A SEVERE ACCIDENT AND REPLICATED THIS AT A LOW SPEED, AND FROM A STOP. I RETURNED THE CAR 3 TIMES AND THE ISSUES REMAIN CONSISTENT. TO DATE SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS NOT ADDRESSED MY CONCERNS. THE CAR IS UNSAFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. DOWNTOWN OAKLAND SUBARU HAS YET TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION. EACH SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERSON HAS TEST DRIVEN THE CAR AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND UPON ENGAGEMENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND AFTER BEING RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMALLY HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SIX TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER OFFERED TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AT NO EXPENSE TO THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,088.

EYE SIGHT SYSTEM. WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM SENSES THE AUTO IN FRONT OF YOUR CAR AND MAINTAINS A SET DISTANCE. THE AUTO THAT WAS IN FRONT OF ME MOVED INTO A LEFT TURN LANE AND SLOWED TO TURN. MY CARS EYE SIGHT SYSTEM DETECTED THE CAR WAS STILL IN FRONT OF MINE AND EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT, INITIALED A HARD STOP AUTOMATICALLY. LUCKY FOR ME THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ALERT AND WAS ALSO ABLE TO STOP BEFORE REAR ENDING MY CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER WITH CARS MOVING EITHER INTO LEFT OR RIGHT TURN LANES OR MERGING OFF INTERSTATES ON THE EXIT RAMP. SUBARU HAS NO IDEA HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE SITUATION. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE OF THE EYE SIGHT SYSTEM THAT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THERE IS NO MENTION OF THIS POSSIBILITY IN THE EYE SIGHT MANUAL. I DISABLE THE SYSTEM NOW TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING TO ME, BUT OFTEN MY WIFE FORGETS. SUBARU NEEDS TO FIND A SOLUTION. I AM HOPING YOU CAN HELP. *TR